Sanderson Farms still considering golf tournament sponsorship

Deciding whether to pick up the three-year title sponsorship option for the Sanderson Farms Championship was on the agenda for the Laurel poultry producer’s board of directors of meeting last week.

The board didn’t make a decision, company treasurer and CFO Mike Cockrell said, but the reviews were good.

“The reaction was what we anticipated,” he said in an interview Monday. “It was very positive and we think there’s a lot that can be done.”

Sanderson and the PGA Tour have a 30-day window to renew the partnership. Sanderson stepped in last spring as a replacement for Viking Range Corp., which did not renew as title sponsor after the 2011 tournament. The agreement was only for this year’s tournament, which ended July 21.

A consortium of medical providers served as sponsors for the 2012 True South Classic. Before that, the tournament, played at Madison’s Annandale Golf Club, was known as the Viking Classic.

The 30-day window closes Aug. 20. Cockrell said extending it would be a possibility, if the board is unable to decide by then if Sanderson will exercise the three-year sponsorship option.

Cockrell said discussions with the PGA will continue into August.

“There may be a few things we want to tweak,” he said. “But anything we do has to be consistent with what the PGA wants. The board met, everything was positive, they enjoyed the experience, and discussions are going to continue.”